Rail-brace.



0.. APPEL. RAIL B'RACE.

1,300, APPLICATION FILED on. 5, 1911. Patented Apr. '8, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- STATESPATETOEFIGE. l I

cant. AIPPEL, or SOUTH PASADENA, CALIFORNIA,

To all cbhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CA L APPEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at South Pasadena, in the county of Los Ange-lee and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Braces; 'and'I do hereby declare the following to be a'full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable'others skilled in the art to which it appertainsto make and use the same. V

This invention relates to improvements in rail braces.

' The object of this invention is to provide a brace which is-so constructed as to prevent the rails from spreading and getting out of gage, thus avoiding accidents caused by the rails spreading.

A further object of .this invention is to provide arail brace so constructed as to be locked with the ties so as to prevent them from slipping or spreading and acting to hold the rails in gage and avoid accidents caused by the spreading of the rails.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a rail brace of this character,

which will be simple, practical and compara tively inexpensive in construction and one 7 Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the plate.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the rail plateready for use.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of thespike used in connection with my rail brace.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the locking wedge shaped member. s

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectionalview illustrating the manner in which the wedge shaped member engages a tie for holding the same locked in the tie.

Like numerals of reference designate cor- BAIL -BRAGE;

Specification'of LettQI'S-Iiatent. I i Patented Ap lh s, "Application filed October 5, 1917; -Seria1No. 194,908.

responding parts in all the figures of the drawings. r

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 5.

designates a railroad tie ofthe usual configuration having secured to theupperside;

thereof theiusual rails 6. l 1

The rail brace is designatled in its entirety by the numeral 7 and it comprisesfarectangula-r body 8 which body is provided on its upper surface intermediate itsends with a longitudinally, extending recess 9 which, is

adapted :to beybridged bythe rail when set upon-the body, and thus'permit water to drain from the device when set upon the "ties: One side of the body 8 is extended to provide a substantially tapered V -shaped extension 10 which extension is-provided with an inverted V '-.sh ap'ed slot '11 defining a, sea

curing tongue 12. The extension10.is bent I upwardly and inclined inwardly in the di rection ofthe web and ball of the rail and V. Y

' is adapted to be engaged with -the web adjacent the' ball of the rail when the. rail is set upon 'the'body ofjthe plate.

The supporting tongue 12 1s providedwith a. spike receiving opening; ,13 which com municates with the inner end of a groove 14:

formed} in the under side of the tongue 12. The groove 14: opens out through the end of the tongue 12 for facilitating the insertion of a locking member therein, which will be hereinafter more fully described. The other side portion of the plate 8 is provided with spike receiving openings 15, it being understood that these spike receiving openings and the spike receiving opening 13, are-recitangular'so as torecelvespikes of the type now in use.

- The openings 15 communicate with the in i ner ends of grooves 16 formed on the under side of the plate and extending from the outer edge thereof. These grooves 16. are

adaptedto'receive locking members similar to the lockmg member placed in the groove 14 tohold the spikes in the openings 13' and,

15 respectively against accidental removal therefrom incident to railroad over the rails6.

Thetype of spike used inconnection with i g 105 my rail brace and illustrated inFig. 6', comprises a shank 17 provided with a head 18 at one end, and having its opposite end pointed as at 19 to facilitate driving of the same into ties-5 and through the openings 13 and 15. The spike is provided adjacent its head stock passing i i end with a transverse groove 20 which has its upper wall inclined upwardly and outwardly as at 21.

A' locking member 22 comprising a shank 23 having one end inclined as at 24 so as to.

7 ing vertical shoulders 27.

In'use, the plates 7 are arranged upon the ties'in the manner illustrated in Fig. 1 and the rails 6 are seated upon the plates 7, the ball being in engagement with the upper edge of the inclined brace 10. The spikes are then driven through the openings 13 and 15 respectively, with the grooves 20 in alinement with the grooves 14 and 16, respectively, of the plate 8, so that by inserting the locking members 22 into the grooves 1 1 and 16 so as to bring the inner ends 24 thereof into enlgagemenlt with the grooves 20' of )the spikes, the spikes are locked in the ties and secured against removal or accidental displacement by vibration. It is then'only necessary to drive a nail or other suitable fastening member down in'the groove 26 into the tie for preventing the outward ment of the locking member 22.

What is claimed is: 1. In a rail brace, a base plate adapted to move- Qopies of thispa'tent may be obtained for receive and support a rail, an upwardly and inwardly extending member carried by said plate and adapted to engage a rail mounted on the plate adjacent the point of juncture between the ball and web of the rail, and a securing tongue projecting from said plate in the plane thereof and positioned centrally of said extension, said tongue and the plate being provided with openings which are disposed in triangular arrangement for receiving securing spikes.

2. In a rail brace, a base plate adapted to receive and support a rail, said plate being of substantially rectangular shape, a bracing member formed integrally with said plate at one edge thereof comprising u wardly and inwardly inclined and upward y converging arms integrally connected at their upper ends to form a substantially V- shaped brace element having its lower edge integrally secured to the edge of the base plate, and a securing tongue formed from the material defined by the arms of said brace element, said tongue being disposed in the plane of the plate and adapted to receive a securing member for tightly securing it to a tie.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CARL APPEL.

Witnesses:

W. O. APPEL, A. B. APPEL.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

